Books, albeit 'live' or interactive, will remain a part of the human experience forever....And they will primarily consist of text, whatever the media format. Publishers, as an industry, will not. That industry has been fragmented into a democratic individualistic endeavor, if you will...A vastly more level and responsive playing field

Everyone who writes and presents are now 'publishers'...Talk about an all-inclusive vertical business model...In fact, talk about an all-inclusive horizontal b...Continue reading ...

Is the print mag publishing market finding it's bottom...or optimum level of sustainability? Seems it might be as there were fewer closures this year than last. There were also fewer start-ups than last year, but there were start-ups!

With the advent of mobile devices such as the iPad and iPhone, newspapers and magazines see a hitherto nonexistent opportunity for generating paid subscription digital versions as the new mobiles (and they WILL be proliferating like rabbits!) will be hungry for great, meaningful and pertinent content.

The publishing crossroads is a balancing act between the younger generation, used to digital media and expecting instant info, and the older generation, still loyal to print...and how to make bot...Continue reading ...

Well, that means 66% DO use the mobile device for reading books...And that is a great percentage!

Since the advent of the eReaders, tablets and other multitask mobile gadgets, I have felt they would encourage more reading...and especially spur book reading...if for no other reason than to be able to utilize the new fad gadgets.

I was right. And their presence has also resulted in the resuscitation of the publishing industry as a whole!

We could always choose where and when, just not how. Technology has enabled us to receive digital, video and audio formats in almost any location and over large and small devices...Neat, no?

The introduction of eReaders, iPads, SmartPhones and iPods, etc. has actually increased the number of readers (and people interested in reading) through an intense modern obsession with gadgetry (but, our ancestors were probably taken with gadgetry, too)...If ever there was an instance where the end justif...Continue reading ...

When the iPad was first launched, it was heralded as a strong savior for the fledgling newspaper publishing industry...Along with the magazine industry AND a rescuer of cheap 'e-retailer'- priced ebooks!

The reason I say Pubit trumps Amazon is because it comes with a free conversion tool that automatically formats Microsoft Word, TXT, HTML or RTF files into the ePub file format for publication.

This is BIG. Any self-publishing author can attest to the difficulty and frustration with formatting these files for Smashwords, Amazon, iPad, etc. This is a great step forward and hopefully will be followed by the others to make digital publis...Continue reading ...

Flipboard, a free iPad application, provides iPad users with a custom digital magazine that changes content constantly based on the links provided in their interest areas on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Maybe...The iPad offers a more personal experience than computers and more graphics and peripherals than eReaders...but, will readers pay for the mag content...much less invest in the expense of the iPad to begin with?

I feel they will...IF the content is relevent, interactive, well written and not available elsewhere. Afterall, content that people want is king!

Benny Evangelista, who writes technology for the SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle), has this view:

The various magazine and newspaper apps for the iPad are so rich with clear, colorful content and REALLY easy navigation through the pages and articles, that many think they point the way to the future of publishing...

One such afficionado is Chris Fralic, partner of First Round Capital, who wrote this for Business Insider:

I've now downloaded and spent some time with the new WIRED app on the iPad, and I think it points the way to the future of publishing.

I first discussed the WePad about two weeks ago in my other blog http://alturl.com/4z88 It's advanced press indicates the WePad has all the iPad contains PLUS many extras (like flash video, a Linux OS and USB ports).

This is from TechTremor.com written by David(BTW, David, you should tell TechTremor to at least list your last name & give a little more bio on YOU):

About Me

John R. Austin

Pueblo, Colorado

Writer, Old-Warrior-Adventurer, Blogger... I was born in Key West, Florida. A rather famous hangout for some past famous writers: Hemingway and Tennessee Williams to name two. I just hope that I possess a glimmer of their talent. I have a bachelors degree in architecture/construction and a master's degree in industrial engineering. I have been writing for fifty plus years. Most of my writing has been in the technical, instructional and business areas. I am working on my first book: "Havana Harvest---When Cuba Was Naughty" which details my coming of age experiences in 1958 Havana, Cuba, at the age of 15. Please visit my other blog "Writers Welcome Blog" at http://alturl.com/4z88.